Javi Garcia joins Zenit from Man City

Manchester City midfielder Javi Garcia has left the club to join Zenit St Petersburg on a permanent deal.

Garcia, 27, joined City from Benfica on the final day of the 2012 summer transfer window, but has found first team action hard to come by at the Etihad and now joins former Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas at the Petrovsky Stadium.

The midfielder won his second international cap for Spain in a 2-2 draw against Chile last September but was not called up to the World Cup squad.

A statement on the City website read: "Everyone at the club would like to thank Javi for his contribution and wish him all the best in his future career."

Zenit have won their first four Russian Premier League games and take on Belgian side Standard Liege in the UEFA Champions League playoffs on Aug. 20 and 26.

The proposed move, thought to be worth around 12 million pounds, ends a two-year spell at the Etihad Stadium for Garcia, who joined from Benfica for 15.8 million pounds.

Playing for Villas-Boas made the prospect of a move to Zenit particularly appealing to Garcia.

He told Zenit's website: "I spoke to him on the phone several times. He is one of the main reasons why I came to St Petersburg. Andre talked a lot about the project of the club, and I believe that we can achieve a lot together.''